86 STALIN'S LADDER
Kaganovich, member of the all powerful Polltbureau
and next to Joseph Stalin and Premier Molotov the
most powerful man in the Communist party of Russia.
"To our enemies at home and abroad," M. Kaga-
novich said, "we wish to state that our army Is growing
and becoming stronger day by day. It consists of the
working class, of the collectivized farm laborers, of the
poor peasants. Our organized forces include 11,000,000
members of trade unions, 9,000,000 members of volun-
tary defence organizations, more than 1,000,000 dele-
gates to the Soviets, 5,000,000 members of the League
of Communist Youth and 4,000,000 pioneers. The
leaders of this army are 2,000,000 members of the
Communist party, the best organized proletarian party
in the world."
The "5,000,000 members of the League of Com-
munist Youth" which Kaganovich mentions In passing
are in their own right a portentous military factor.
The members of this organization range In age from
sixteen to twenty-three. Their training so nearly ap-
proximates that of the regular soldier that they are
usually spoken of as the Soviet's "Junior Army."